Welcome home, Nintendo fans.
After a seven-year hiatus, the third entry in the “Super Smash Bros.” series has finally hit the Wii with “Super Smash Bros. Brawl.” Boasting features like online play, stage creation and a lengthy adventure mode, “Brawl” is without a doubt the most dense compendium of high-quality gaming since last year’s “Orange Box,” and it should not be missed.
Long-time fans can rest easy; the series’ trademark frenetic gameplay that mixes old-school platforming action with the combat of a fighting game is intact and more polished than ever. The character roster weighs in at a staggering 35 different fighters to choose from. Nintendo mainstays like Mario, Peach, Link and Donkey Kong are all accounted for, but the real excitement comes from the new inductees to the Smash Bros. arena. The most unique characters to surface include the Pokémon Trainer, who can call upon three different Pokémon, and Captain Olimar, who digs up plant-like creatures called Pikmin to fight for him.
For the first time ever, Super Smash Bros. “Brawl” includes characters from other companies than Nintendo, such as Solid Snake, the talkative superspy from Konami’s “Metal Gear” series. Also present is Sega’s mascot and long-time Nintendo nemesis Sonic the Hedgehog, who is guaranteed to impress the nearest 8-year-old.
Also new to the series is a narrative-driven adventure mode called The Subspace Emissary. Lasting anywhere from six to 10 hours, this mode challenges the player to embark across dozens of levels and battle hundreds of enemies in order to unite the entire Smash Bros. roster of characters against a creepy, generic bad guy. The plot, told through a series of wordless movie sequences, is utterly baffling and best left alone; however, the mode is surprisingly enjoyable and can be played co-operatively with a friend, exponentially increasing the fun factor.
While many fans were eagerly anticipating the inclusion of online battles – a first for the series – the online mode is unfortunately a mixed bag. Although it’s relatively easy to jump onto the nearest wireless access point and leap into a random battle against anonymous players around the world, coordinating with friends is a bigger hassle than it should be. In order to meet up with a buddy online, both players have to look up their 12-digit friend codes and type them in. And even then, there’s no guarantee that severe lag won’t cripple the game to the point of being unplayable. Hopefully Nintendo will iron out connection issues soon; when it works, playing online is an absolute blast.
Perhaps the most welcome addition to the Smash Bros. series is the inclusion of a robust stage creator. Players can quickly choose a size and backdrop for a stage, construct a series of platforms to fight on, and choose background music from hundreds of classic Nintendo songs. The process is surprisingly efficient, and it greatly extends the game’s replay value after the included stages have been played for the umpteenth time. The only drawback is that custom-built stages cannot be played online.
Even with its minor faults, there’s no denying the joy and excitement that “Brawl” manages to evoke. Like any good Nintendo game, it’s painless to pick up and play and best experienced with a few of your friends at your side. Unless you’re morally opposed to having fun, this is a game that is guaranteed to keep you and your friends entertained for hours on end.
With 35 characters to choose from, dozens of game modes and enough Nintendo lore to fill an encyclopedia, you and your friends will be brawling for years to come.
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